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- http://wizardforums.com/Thread-Astral-Shapeshifting
What it is:
Shapeshifting is changing your form in the Astral. There are many reasons for doing this. Changing your Astral form can affect both you and the way others in your environment react towards you. It can temporarily change your personality, demeanor, mental/emotional state and even your physical abilities. It does this by making you become more like the form you have taken. It won't drastically change you, but will give you an edge that will help you accomplish goals. Allow me to explain this a bit further with an example. Let's say you take on the form of a bear for physical strength. It won't make you literally as strong as a bear. Rather, it will simply allow you to slightly go beyond your normal strength limitations.
How it works:
Allow me to describe how shapeshifting works. Despite my example above, you are in no way limited to animals when shapeshifting. You can shapeshift into any form the imagination can produce. This not only means creatures, but symbols as well. The subconscious mind is deeply connected to the Astral. By changing your form, you are changing the way you subconsciously react to your environment as well as changing how other people perceive you subconsciously. This is the secret to how it works. You must be able to choose a form that mentally and emotionally affects you and/or others. I'll leave figuring this part out to you, but feel free to comment below for advice.
How it's done:
Now, it's time to explain how it's done. There are many ways of doing it, but I'm going to explain a simple technique. There may be better ways out there. In order to shapeshift, you must become the thing you wish to take the form of. Think of the form you want to take on. It should be a form you're very familiar with. Both how it looks, its nature, how it affects people's emotions, etc. Let's say an eagle for this example. Visualize an eagle in your mind clearly and alive. Now see that eagle as you yourself. You are that eagle. Feel your Aura changing to your new form, indulging in the fantasy of being an eagle. Realize that it is no fantasy; you are literally becoming like an eagle. You possess its traits; the ability to fly where you please and to be a respected predator in the wild. You'll feel free and above others; you'll feel feared and respected by the lower birds that are your prey. People will now give you what you want, and get out of your way.
Let me also explain how to become a symbol. Symbols have strong effects on the subconscious mind, and thus also do in the Astral. Let's make up a scenario to demonstrate how it's done. You want someone to invest in your business, and you must convince them it's a smart investment in person. What symbol should you take on? How about '$.' Just like before, hold the image in your mind. See yourself as the image, taking its shape. See you taking on all of what the symbol represents. You are that symbol that radiates the feeling of profit and joy. This will help the person to trust and get excited about investing with your business.
Extra:
Here's an extra technique as well as a couple various uses. Shapeshifting plays a big role in Vampyrism and Lycanthropy. I've decided to separate this general overview from them. To understand how this is the case, here are links to threads explaining each in further detail:
Mirror Technique:
This is just another method I came up with based on my other Shapeshifting thread, which can be read here. This is a visualization method that step by step should help one induce the Shapeshifting process. One should probably have read my first thread to better understand this one.
First picture the form of what you wish to take. Follow the focusing technique in the other thread. Then see the form as being placed into a mirror, or a mirror coming into being around the form. Whichever way works best for you. Once you have the form in the mirror, visualize yourself looking into this mirror in first person. It's important to be in first person. Begin to see the form as a reflection. Realize that you are gazing upon yourself. Feel yourself taking the form in which you see. Note that as you move, so does your reflection. Become the form you've initially visualized through this mirror. When you're ready to use the form, simply leave the mirror or even shatter it to show that it is done.
Another interseting thing one can do with this method is apply it to the Creating a Pseudo Pantheon I discuss here. Once you have your Pantheon created, you can then shapeshift into their various forms. This can be very useful energy manipulation rites and fully consuming yourself with a single aspect of your mind. This will give you greater focus and empowerment. Just see them as the reflection to get yourself started.
Vampyric Shapeshifting:
Shapeshifting tends to come more naturally for Vampyres than it does for humans, as does any form of energy manipulation. Aside from the normal benefits that anyone can enjoy from shapeshifting, for a Vampyre it can be a great enhancement to the feeding proceeds. Feeding is a necessity for any Vampyre, so we must find ways of getting as much out of a target as we possibly can. This is where the shapeshifting comes in.
Emotions give out a great amount of energy. By shapeshifting into forms that would produce an emotional response from a target, a Vampyre can ensure that more energy will be available. I'll give a rather nasty example for this. Let's say you wish to produce fear in a victim to gather their energy. The Vampyre would take on a terrifying form, such as a monster or a Demonic appearing creature. This would raise fear in a person, causing them to leak energy which can then be absorbed.
Any emotion can be raised and thus fed from. They don't have to be bad. A form inciting feelings of love and compassion would be a very good thing to feed from. Not only is it positive, but the energy may flow more freely to you if they're in an emotionally 'giving mood.' Use your head to come up with various different sort of forms that could lead to any of the many emotions. Also, note that this is an especially good technique for those that can fully project and visit people in their sleep. Changing their dreams with this technique is possible and very rewarding.
Lycanthropic Shapeshifting:
Shapeshifting tends to come naturally to Lycans, far more so than for humans or Vampyres. In fact, Lycans often unintentionally shapeshift. The reason for this is their close connection to nature. When the full moon approaches and energy is moving much more rapidly and chaotically, the Lycan reacts likewise. They often overflow with energy and often shapeshift into a more beast like form. They act more like an animal than they normally would. It not only changes how they act, but also increases their physical strength and endurance.
Since shapeshifting comes so naturally to them (even automatically at times), Lycans have a great ability they can use once they can learn to control it. They can take this beast like form in particular to be more aggressive and assertive in many ways, and thus can become the alpha in any situation. Also, a rush of extra strength will fill a Lycan. People respect their prowess, fear their wrath and fall to their physical might.
Archivist Note: these originally were 4 (short) threads by Shadow that I combined as they are linked
Shapeshifting is changing your form in the Astral. There are many reasons for doing this. Changing your Astral form can affect both you and the way others in your environment react towards you. It can temporarily change your personality, demeanor, mental/emotional state and even your physical abilities. It does this by making you become more like the form you have taken. It won't drastically change you, but will give you an edge that will help you accomplish goals. Allow me to explain this a bit further with an example. Let's say you take on the form of a bear for physical strength. It won't make you literally as strong as a bear. Rather, it will simply allow you to slightly go beyond your normal strength limitations.
How it works:
Allow me to describe how shapeshifting works. Despite my example above, you are in no way limited to animals when shapeshifting. You can shapeshift into any form the imagination can produce. This not only means creatures, but symbols as well. The subconscious mind is deeply connected to the Astral. By changing your form, you are changing the way you subconsciously react to your environment as well as changing how other people perceive you subconsciously. This is the secret to how it works. You must be able to choose a form that mentally and emotionally affects you and/or others. I'll leave figuring this part out to you, but feel free to comment below for advice.
How it's done:
Now, it's time to explain how it's done. There are many ways of doing it, but I'm going to explain a simple technique. There may be better ways out there. In order to shapeshift, you must become the thing you wish to take the form of. Think of the form you want to take on. It should be a form you're very familiar with. Both how it looks, its nature, how it affects people's emotions, etc. Let's say an eagle for this example. Visualize an eagle in your mind clearly and alive. Now see that eagle as you yourself. You are that eagle. Feel your Aura changing to your new form, indulging in the fantasy of being an eagle. Realize that it is no fantasy; you are literally becoming like an eagle. You possess its traits; the ability to fly where you please and to be a respected predator in the wild. You'll feel free and above others; you'll feel feared and respected by the lower birds that are your prey. People will now give you what you want, and get out of your way.
Let me also explain how to become a symbol. Symbols have strong effects on the subconscious mind, and thus also do in the Astral. Let's make up a scenario to demonstrate how it's done. You want someone to invest in your business, and you must convince them it's a smart investment in person. What symbol should you take on? How about '$.' Just like before, hold the image in your mind. See yourself as the image, taking its shape. See you taking on all of what the symbol represents. You are that symbol that radiates the feeling of profit and joy. This will help the person to trust and get excited about investing with your business.
Extra:
Here's an extra technique as well as a couple various uses. Shapeshifting plays a big role in Vampyrism and Lycanthropy. I've decided to separate this general overview from them. To understand how this is the case, here are links to threads explaining each in further detail:
Mirror Technique:
This is just another method I came up with based on my other Shapeshifting thread, which can be read here. This is a visualization method that step by step should help one induce the Shapeshifting process. One should probably have read my first thread to better understand this one.
First picture the form of what you wish to take. Follow the focusing technique in the other thread. Then see the form as being placed into a mirror, or a mirror coming into being around the form. Whichever way works best for you. Once you have the form in the mirror, visualize yourself looking into this mirror in first person. It's important to be in first person. Begin to see the form as a reflection. Realize that you are gazing upon yourself. Feel yourself taking the form in which you see. Note that as you move, so does your reflection. Become the form you've initially visualized through this mirror. When you're ready to use the form, simply leave the mirror or even shatter it to show that it is done.
Another interseting thing one can do with this method is apply it to the Creating a Pseudo Pantheon I discuss here. Once you have your Pantheon created, you can then shapeshift into their various forms. This can be very useful energy manipulation rites and fully consuming yourself with a single aspect of your mind. This will give you greater focus and empowerment. Just see them as the reflection to get yourself started.
Vampyric Shapeshifting:
Shapeshifting tends to come more naturally for Vampyres than it does for humans, as does any form of energy manipulation. Aside from the normal benefits that anyone can enjoy from shapeshifting, for a Vampyre it can be a great enhancement to the feeding proceeds. Feeding is a necessity for any Vampyre, so we must find ways of getting as much out of a target as we possibly can. This is where the shapeshifting comes in.
Emotions give out a great amount of energy. By shapeshifting into forms that would produce an emotional response from a target, a Vampyre can ensure that more energy will be available. I'll give a rather nasty example for this. Let's say you wish to produce fear in a victim to gather their energy. The Vampyre would take on a terrifying form, such as a monster or a Demonic appearing creature. This would raise fear in a person, causing them to leak energy which can then be absorbed.
Any emotion can be raised and thus fed from. They don't have to be bad. A form inciting feelings of love and compassion would be a very good thing to feed from. Not only is it positive, but the energy may flow more freely to you if they're in an emotionally 'giving mood.' Use your head to come up with various different sort of forms that could lead to any of the many emotions. Also, note that this is an especially good technique for those that can fully project and visit people in their sleep. Changing their dreams with this technique is possible and very rewarding.
Lycanthropic Shapeshifting:
Shapeshifting tends to come naturally to Lycans, far more so than for humans or Vampyres. In fact, Lycans often unintentionally shapeshift. The reason for this is their close connection to nature. When the full moon approaches and energy is moving much more rapidly and chaotically, the Lycan reacts likewise. They often overflow with energy and often shapeshift into a more beast like form. They act more like an animal than they normally would. It not only changes how they act, but also increases their physical strength and endurance.
Since shapeshifting comes so naturally to them (even automatically at times), Lycans have a great ability they can use once they can learn to control it. They can take this beast like form in particular to be more aggressive and assertive in many ways, and thus can become the alpha in any situation. Also, a rush of extra strength will fill a Lycan. People respect their prowess, fear their wrath and fall to their physical might.
Archivist Note: these originally were 4 (short) threads by Shadow that I combined as they are linked
